A new start

When it comes to coaching, Alex Wood likes to “live on the edge.”

The pressure and demands of being a Division I football coach do not faze him; he has coached two national championships teams and has experience in the NFL. Wood doesn’t allow the lack of job security that comes with being a football coach affect him as he game plans for an opponent.

“There’s no security,” Wood said. “Why get uptight about whatever or any of that stuff because if you don’t win the game, they’re going to get you anyway. So win the game.”

That approach might help Wood in his new opportunity as interim head coach of the Buffalo football team, after former head coach Jeff Quinn was fired last Monday.

Wood, who has served as Buffalo’s offensive coordinator since 2011 and as quarterbacks coach this season, was named interim head coach Oct. 13 – the same day Quinn’s contract was terminated. Wood will coach his first game as Buffalo’s head coach this Saturday when the Bulls (3-4, 1-2 Mid-American Conference) host Central Michigan (4-4, 2-2 MAC) this Saturday at UB Stadium.

Wood had an extensive coaching career at both the college and NFL level, and he is looking forward to the opportunity for himself and the Bulls.

“It’s a new start in some regards,” Wood said. “It gives you new life and new excitement about what can happen.”

Wood said his initial concern was for Quinn and the former coach’s family after the new coach was told of the firing and offered the interim position. He said he accepted the job “because I want to try and do the best I can for the guys that are here in this program.”

When Wood addressed the team for the first time as head coach, he expressed gratitude for Quinn and his wife Shannon. He then told the players that the team “needs to treat this like a ball game. You only have so much time to work through it and then we need to get on with our business.’”

Wood had a former interim head coach address the Bulls in a team meeting to give them advice in dealing with a midseason coaching change.

Ed Orgeron, who served as USC’s interim head coach in 2013, spoke to the Bulls via Skype at a team meeting this past Monday. Orgeron led the Trojans to a 6-2 finish after Lane Kiffin was fired as head coach five games into the season.

Orgeron spoke to the team about his experience as an interim head coach and how the USC players rallied behind him. Wood said the Bulls appreciated what Orgeron said.

“His message was spot on about working together, still continue to develop and cultivate relationships with one another,” Wood said.

Wood and Orgeron worked together as assistants at University of Miami from 1989 to 1991, winning two national championships under head coach Dennis Erickson during that time. Ogeron reached out to Wood after reading about his promotion to interim head coach and offered encouragement.

Wood also has experience at the NFL level. He has worked as an assistant coach for three different NFL teams from 1999 to 2004. He coached several Pro Bowl and Hall of Fame players during his time in the league.

Wood coached both NFL all-time leading rusher Emmitt Smith and Pro Bowl wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald during his lone season as the Arizona Cardinals’ offensive coordinator in 2004.

He also served as the Cincinnati Bengals wide receivers coach in 2003 and helped coach former NFL wide receiver Chad Johnson to his first Pro Bowl season. Wood added Johnson, who was known for his on the field antics, could “sometimes [be] a pain in butt,” but also that he was a “special player.”

“I was fortunate to be around a bunch of guys who had a passion for the sport but they were also very professional,” Wood said of his time in the NFL.

Wood’s only prior head coaching experience came at Division IA James Madison from 1995-98 and he led the team to a playoff appearance in his first season. Wood has also seen firsthand what it takes to win a MAC Championship. Wood served as Miami’s Ohio’s wide receivers coach in its 2010 championship season – a year before he joined Buffalo.

After calling plays as Buffalo’s offensive coordinator in the coaching box the past few seasons, Saturday’s game will be Wood’s first experience coaching from the sidelines since his last season at James Madison. He plans to use his vast coaching experience to aid the Bulls through the rest of the season and their transition period between coaches.

“You’re hoping you’re not getting in these situations very often but sometimes you do and when you do you just have to put it all in perspective and say, ‘Here’s what happened, and now here’s what we have to do,’” Wood said. “There’s still a job to be done and a program to run. They’ve asked me to do that and we’re going to do it to the best of our ability.”

Wood’s first opportunity to prove himself as a head coach to Athletic Director Danny White comes this weekend at UB Stadium. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m.

email: sports@ubspectrum.com